April 2016 – Unlock Tools

Apple Expands Its Apple Pay Service to ANZ in Australia

iPhone users who live in Australia and New Zealand can pay for goods with their smartphone via Apple Pay in Australia. This mobile payment system was introduced in this country last fall. Apple was able to bring the system to Australia thanks to American Express support.

The list of Apple Pay Australian banks gets new player. This time the ‘fruit’ company was able to expand its service to ANZ cards. Previously it was only possible to make purchases with the iPhone using your American Express credit or debit card. You can now pay through Apple Pay ANZ Australia.

ANZ stands for Australia and New Zealand Banking Group. In other words, if you have the credit / debit card from ANZ you can use it for your Apple Pay mobile payments. You are no longer limited to American Express only.

According to news, ANZ promises that all ANZ cardholders are eligible for using Apple Pay iPhone system [here is Apple Pay setup instruction]. This includes Business Advantage, Rewards Platinum and Access Advantage cards and surely American Express / Visa from ANZ are also supported.

Apple Pay in Australia is becoming easier and simpler to use since ANS is one of the major bank groups in this country. Still there are other banks the company doesn’t work with yet. They are not supported by iPhone mobile payments but the Cupertino-based company is surely working on further growth. It is also present in the UK, Singapore, China, Canada and the U.S.

iPhone SE Sales in China Become Popular and Win Over Other Brands

How popular is iPhone SE in China? Many American users who dreamt of a smaller 4-inch device have already pre-ordered AT&T iPhone SE. Chinese consumers are also active and over 3 million pre-orders prove this fact.

iPhone SE sales figures are amazing. Maybe the current numbers are not as high as iPhone 6s / 6s Plus sales were but the more affordable 4-inch handset is highly demanded by customers and this is what really matters. Since iPhone SE launch became a hit in the market that is full of other brands.

iPhone SE market share is squeezing Vivo, Xiaomi and Oppo. Local brands lose earning because of the cheaper iPhone presence in the market. When customers can choose between Oppo, Xiaomi, Huawei and Vivo they choose Apple as the 4-inch iPhone SE is prices fairly low. This can’t be said about iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus.

Some reports are pretty curious. It seems that Apple doesn’t keep a high level of iPhone SE inventory in China and other countries. The ‘fruit’ giant tried this with iPhone 6s and got excess inventory with slower smartphone sales across the globe.

While iPhone SE sales figures are promising Apple doesn’t seem to place bigger orders with component makers. They are forced to reduce inventory as well because of the lower demand from the ‘fruit’ company.

Do you think the inventory of iPhone 7 would also be lowered compared to iPhone 6 / 6s and 6s Plus? This next generation smartphone will be unveiled sometime in September. Apple should also upgrade its mobile firmware and present the next iOS 10.

Order iOS 9.3.1 Unlock for Any iPhone Carrier in U.S.

Is SIM unlock iPhone Verizon service possible for iOS 9.3.1? This is the most recent firmware released by Apple. You can now unlock any carrier and any phone model on iOS 9.3.1 or any other mobile firmware version.

For example, ATT iPhone unlock iOS 9.3.1 is fully possible. Sprint and Verizon unlocking is also possible. All users who believe they are tired of being locked to only one U.S. network can free themselves from carriers. Once you are fully unlocked you can insert any SIM card into your smartphone and connect to any network. You can do this both inside and outside the United States.

We should note that Sprint iPhone unlock iOS 9.3.1 is also available to users. Make sure you are eligible for the distant service and order iOS 9.3.1 unlock iPhone option. It is remote service that can be ordered online.

There is IMEI checker for different iPhone statuses. It’s better if you double and even triple check your activation status, blacklist status and locked status. If you purchased a used smartphone you might own an already SIM unlocked model and this is one of the reasons why you might want to check everything once again.

Online orders are easy to place. The whole procedure takes only 24 hours or a couple of days. You’ll be informed about being unlocked from your original network. You’ll have to insert an unsupported SIM into iPhone [if you are locked to Verizon you can inster AT&T SIM card] and connect to your computer. Launch iTunes and your unlock will be activated. Isn’t it cool?

iPhone SE Highly Demanded by Chinese Customers: Over 3 Million Orders

Long before Apple officially released iPhone SE in China it was believed that this model could be extremely popular in China and India. These are two markets where customers prefer getting affordable smartphones.

There are many iPhone models but they are all priced differently. iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus are the most expensive and iPhone SE is the most affordable. What iPhone is popular in China? It looks like the 4-inch iPhone is highly demanded by local consumers.

iPhone SE pre orders in China reached over 3.4 million devices. This is big hit here. So many users hurried to pre order their new phone before it went on sale. The number of customers who are trying to buy iPhone SE is growing. Apple offers discounts and new programs for iPhone SE purchase in India.

According to reports, users prefer iPhone SE in gold color. The second choice is rose gold. It seems that gray and silver iPhones are not as popular these days. What color do you prefer when it comes to ‘fruit’ device?

Of course, 3.4 million iPhone SE pre-orders number is not as high as premium iPhone sales still 4-inch device is known as budget smartphone. It is mainly designed for emerging markets and the iPhone giant has hopes to sell 15 million iPhone SE units by end of 2016. Could it reach this number? It probably can if pre-orders in China only reached over 3 million.

Apple is now working on iOS 9.3.2 firmware update. This version exists in beta only but should soon become available to public.

Perfect AT&T iPhone SIM Unlock for iOS 9.3.1 Firmware

AT&T iPhone users who have installed iOS 9.3.1 cannot downgrade back to iOS 9.3. The ‘fruit’ giant is no longer signing this previous release and keeps working on the future iOS 9.3.2 version. Still you can unlock iOS 9.3.1 iPhone as well as iOS 9.3 handset that is locked to AT&T carrier.

AT&T is one of the major American networks that are popular among customers. You can order AT&T iPhone SIM unlock iOS 9.3.1 service as this is the fastest and safest way to become SIM free once and forever.

The service is distant. You should know your IMEI code and have a good account with AT&T. It is often possible to SIM unlock blacklisted phones as well but you have to double check regarding your iPhone model, firmware version and statuses.

Make sure the phone is activated with AT&T network beforehand because the only model that is not supported by SIM factory unlock is the iPhone that is not activated. Its IMEI number is simply absent from Apple and carrier’s databases.

How can you order factory unlock for AT&T iPhone? You can select your model from the list of supported devices, choose your network package and provide your IMEI code. You can run different IMEI checker services and make sure you are eligible for the service.

This is remote unlock. There is no need for you to leave your home. You can place your order online and wait till you are informed about successful unlocking. You’ll have to activate your new unlocked status through iTunes.

Apple Pay Usage Keeps Growing and Growing

The mobile payment was offered by Apple in the fall 2014. The company managed to attract customers to this option. How popular is Apple Pay today? There are figures you should learn in order to answer this question.

Apple Pay usage has truly become popular. The company got 5 times more transactions than a year ago. This is ‘tremendous rate’ and the ‘fruit’ giant announced everything during Q2 2016 earnings call. The company’s CEO Tim Cook mentioned Apple Pay plans and assured that the mobile service gets about one million new users per week. This is huge growth and it seems that the number of Apple Pay subscribers would be even higher in Q3.

Different banks, retails stores and iPhone users can take the advantage of Apple Pay not only in the United States but also outside the country. Apple brought its mobile service to Singapore, China, Canada, the UK and Australia. There are reports about possible soon Apple Pay release in France, Spain, Brazil and Hong Kong.

iPhone users who travel a lot and visit the countries that support the mobile ‘fruit’ service can easily pay with their phone. They just have to be sure that their card is supported in the country they are visiting.

The ‘fruit’ mobile payment system is supported by over one million locations in the U.S. If taking into consideration all other countries the number of stores that accept Apple Pay gets over 10 million.

It’s curious that Apple doesn’t make too much money using Apple Pay. Still this option will be developed further and extended to even more locations in 2016.

Great iPhone 6s Discount: Buy iPhone at $1 from Best Buy

There are millions of Apple users who are looking for iPhone 6s discount. Best Buy seems to get a good deal to all ‘fruit’ fans. You have a choice of getting a new phone on the contract or instead get $100 gift card [through installment plan].

The great iPhone 6s discount and iPhone deals could save you money. Apple never offers iPhone at one dollar directly through its Apple Stores. Retailers have better deals and you can grab one of the latest phone models right now.

If you wish to get iPhone 6s at $1 you will have to agree to sign up a contract. This is the only requirement you have to meet in order to pay only one dollar for 16GB iPhone 6s version. You’ll be locked to Sprint. If you are not a fan of contract iPhone model you can agree to the $100 Gift Card and choose installment plan instead.

Apple fans who sign up to 2 year contract with Sprint can pay $1 for their iPhone 6s [16GB capacity only]. It is curious that Sprint is the only major U.S. carrier that still offers contracts. All other big networks got away from contract plans by now [compare iPhone SE and iPhone 6s]. Sprint tried to do the same thing however it quickly changed its mind.

Sprint installment plan is designed for users who don’t like contract iPhones. The installment plan option also gives you Best Buy $100 gift card. Customers have to pay $26.39 a month through installment plan [the iPhone 6s’ full price is $699.99].

You should visit Best Buy store to get the deal.

iBooks Store and iTunes Movies Not Available in China Anymore?

Chinese markets doesn’t welcome international companies if they are taking over local companies. Apple is expanding its retail stores in China however the Chinese Regulator decided to shut down some of the ‘fruit’ service. iTunes Movies in China are affected as well as iBooks Store.

It is impossible to make major inroads into the local market unless your company was founded in China. All the limitations were successfully bypassed by Apple. The company created a name for its well-known products as iPhone, iPad and other ‘fruit’ devices are pretty popular in China. Local customers pre-ordered over 3 million units of the new 4-inch iPhone SE model. iPhone 6s and 6s Plus that are more expensive than iPhone SE are also demanded by Chinese consumers.

The news about China shutting down iBooks Store and iTunes iMovies got no official comments from Apple. The spokeswoman only mentions that the Cupertino-based company is working hard so that Chinese customers can use its stores. Nothing is said about when exactly the stores that were shut down would be back to live.

Chinese Government at first approved Apple’s initiative to launch Apple Pay in China, iTunes Movies and iBooks Store in China. Later the local media Administration demanded that the iPhone maker shut down online stores in the Asian market. Apple had to take down its stores.

We have already heard about China’s wish to get iOS source code from Apple. The Cupertino-based company refused to reveal it.

Apple products are highly competitive in China even though this brand is pretty expensive. Customers from all over the world purchase ‘fruit’ gadgets. Apple mobile payment, tech products, software and online stores compete with Chinese services and companies so all ‘fruit’ products are most likely under the scanner in China.

You Can Enable Replace Text Option in Different Mac OS X Apps

Mac Text Replacement is a cool features build in OS X platform that allows you using shortcuts for longer words, phrases and pieces of text [if not paying attention to different Mac login problems on OS X 10.11.4]. You can enable replace text as you type option in different applications even if this option is not enabled by default.

We’ll explain how you have to do in order to enjoy Text Replacement Mac OS X addition and create easy-to-use shortcuts for something you are typing periodically or even every day. This is cool for computer users who are working with text or write many emails / letters.

How to Enable Text Replacement in Apps on Mac

Step 1. Launch the app you wish to use along with Text Replacement on Mac from menubar.

Step 2. Choose Edit option.

Step 3. Go to Substitutions section.

Step 4. Choose Text Replacement feature. You have to turn it on.

Step 5. Repeat this guide for every application you are using for typing and enjoy faster typing with shortcuts used for Text Replacement. This is not difficult but may take some time. Remember that the Text Replacement option should be supported by the application [Apple fixed Mac security issues].

If the app doesn’t support Text Replacement feature [for example, Chrome browser wouldn’t work with OS X Text Replacement] you need to search for alternative third-party utilities that improve text expansion and make it simpler to use text shortcuts.

It is better if your shortcuts or snippets are no longer than 5 letters. This way it will be easier for you to type the snippet which will be automatically transformed into the piece of text you meant to use originally.

Can I Downgrade iOS 9.3.1 to iOS 9.3 on iPhone?

Apple released iOS 9.3.1 and a lot of iPhone and iPad users wonder how to downgrade iOS 9.3.1 and get back to the previous firmware versions. We’ll tell you if it possible to achieve this goal and how.

You have probably heard that Apple always stops signing previous iOS version once it presents a newer one. This has already happened to iOS 9.3 release that has no impact on battery life. In other words you cannot downgrade iOS 9.3.1 to iOS 9.3 because older operating system is no longer signed.

Why does it happen? The Cupertino-based giant is preventing its customers from downgrading. It’s curious that it took Apple less than 3 weeks to stop signing iOS 9.3 after iOS 9.3.1 update became available to public with numerous fixed to iOS 9.3 problems, bugs and issues.

Before you try to downgrade iOS 9.3.1 to 9.3 or any other future iPhone platform you should check the popular free site IPSW.me that shows the signing statuses for all Apple mobile firmware in real-time. All the changes are quickly reflected here so you will always know when the well-known ‘fruit’ giant stops signing another platform.

What will happen if you still try to downgrade from iOS 9.3.1 to iOS 9.3? You will get an error message [learn more about iPhone lock screen bypass issue]. You should also note that Apple could continue to sign some versions if they were meant to fix a previously known bug. This information can be also found on that special website.

Hopefully we have explained you some facts about downgrading. Remember that you cannot downgrade if you have installed iOS 9.3.1 on your iDevice. However once Apple releases iOS 9.3.2 you’ll be able to revert back to 9.3.1 until the company stops signing it as well.